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Vorian Tanis
Vorian Andrew Tanis (born January 8, 1959 in Dundee, Scotland) is the real name of the "Eternal Watcher", the Nikaean deity who is believed to watch over the people of Nikaea. The truth is far different from what the Nikaeans even expected, but not quite unbelievable... Underwood's Notes: Origins Tanis is portrayed by musician Peter Gabriel, one of the founding members of Genesis. The name of the character came to mind in the process of writing Warcraft fan fiction over a year ago. The concept of making a Peter Gabriel-portrayed character into the Eternal Watcher came from his voicing of the "spirit guide" in the Dreamworld of Serenia in Myst IV: Revelation. The concept of the Shar'tah (and the Shar'vore) was created by Gem and Chriss, two roleplayers who also created Nainya and graciously allowed me to join in the fun. *grin* Biography Nikaean lore states that the Eternal Watcher was a warrior of non-Nikaean birth who was wounded in a great battle against a tyrant. As he died, the Watcher was called to service by the Ancients to protect the people of Nikaea. This would be a surprising parallel to the life of Vorian Tanis... Tanis was born in Dundee on Scotland's eastern coast to Andrew and Helene Tanis, whose families had moved there from England after the Second World War. His ancestry and early life is unknown, as "Tanis" is not a very common name in the British Isles. It is known that he was a schoolteacher in Dundee until the Eugenics Wars, and he had one son, Oren - who maintained the Tanis bloodline well into the 24th century. In 1993, Tanis joined a group of Britons opposed to the dictators rising to power over the world, and became one of the top generals of an anti-dictator Eugenic he knew only as "Commander" - the Eugenic who would later become Kiran Joshmaul. Tanis was well-liked and respected by his men, by his comrades, and by Joshmaul himself, who considered him his best commander. On December 16, 1995, as part of a force that assaulted Khan Noonien Singh's stronghold of Chandigarh in India, Tanis fell mortally wounded to one of the Great Khanate's soldiers. But as he lay dying, Tanis was visited in the realm of his subconscious by Po'gaenus the Exalted, a powerful Gorak'nar Elder who had been murdered over a century earlier and raised to immortality as one of the Shar'vore. Tanis, a moral-minded man who had joined Joshmaul's cause because he valued freedom over tyranny, listened intently as Po'gaenus told him of the crimes of his people against the Nikaeans and their tales of the Eternal Watcher, whose fate - whether by destiny, design or coincidence - was roughly the same as Tanis'. Amused by the irony, Tanis agreed to Po'gaenus' offer of immortality in exchange for service, and became one of the White Shar'tah, who served as messengers, watchers and emissaries for the more powerful Shar'vore. When Khan was defeated and fled Earth onboard the Botany Bay the following January, Tanis was officially listed as killed in action, but his body was never found. Kiran Joshmaul was left to mourn the death of his finest general...who, it seemed, had transcended death. The Watcher of Nikaea After being raised as a Shar'tah, Po'gaenus instructed Tanis in the nature of his powers, how he was not to use them for his own gain or out of anger. At first, Tanis was uncomfortable with the idea of being a center of worship, but Po'gaenus' suggestion was to not look at it as being a god, but rather as a teacher and advisor. "We are immortal, young one, but the true secret to our power is not in showing others we have it, but to use our knowledge to aid those others," the Ancient is recorded to have said to the Watcher, according to the Nikaeans' story of the Eternal Watcher, which is a word-for-word transcript (though no one could know it) of what Po'gaenus said to Tanis. Tanis, who had been a teacher before the Eugenics Wars, warmed to the challenge of being the watcher of an entire race of people, and grew wiser and stronger in his new task. When the Black Shar'vore known as Artimus Devaneaux invaded Nikaea in 2380, Tanis was taken by surprise, frozen in horror by the hatred of the more powerful being. Po'gaenus had not told him of the Black Shar'vore, and the fact that there could be evil beings with this kind of power left Tanis dumbstruck...and as a result, the entire Nikaean race was nearly wiped out in an instant. Angered by his inaction and by the brutality displayed by Artimus' Gorak'nar legions, Tanis began to guide both the Nikaeans and their fanatically religious allies, the Sergorath, in seeking a being powerful enough to confront Artimus on his own terms: The Shar'vore known as Herbert McWarren, who was an admiral in the Federation Starfleet. He also discovered that his old commander, Kiran Joshmaul, was still alive, but just barely - kept in the hands of Artimus and his power-mad servant, Gorak'nar Emperor Jaeden'laek XVI. With the war beginning to turn against the Gorak'nar, Tanis pledged himself to aid McWarren in freeing Joshmaul and ending Artimus' reign of terror once and for all. Perhaps now, he decided, was the time to reveal himself to the people he was sworn to guide... Category:RPG Category:Star Trek